King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first female Prime Minister on September 29, 2026, following the victory of her Party of Authenticity and Modernity in the September 23 legislative elections.
Royal Appointment in Rabat
The Moroccan royal palace announced the appointment on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, confirming that King Mohammed VI received El Mansouri at the royal palace in Rabat and officially charged her with forming a new government. The transition follows the September 23 parliamentary vote where the Authenticity and Modernity Party secured 97 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives. Under the Moroccan constitution, the monarch selects the head of government from the winning political party following a general election.
جلالة الملك يعين السيدة فاطمة الزهراء المنصوري رئيسة للحكومة ويكلفها جلالته بتشكيل الحكومة الجديدة
— TheMoroccanMonarchy (@M_RoyalFamily) September 29, 2026
His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, appointed Ms. Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Head of Government pic.twitter.com/8Oq5hp0tsM
Parliamentary Results and Coalition Arithmetic
While the PAM claimed the most seats with 97, the party fell short of an absolute majority in the 395-seat chamber. The centrist National Rally of Independents finished second with 66 seats, while the conservative nationalist Istiqlal party secured 65. The Islamist Justice and Development Party, which led the government for a decade prior to a 2021 defeat, increased its representation to 54 seats, though its leader, Abdelilah Benkirane, announced the party would remain in opposition. Voter turnout dropped to approximately 38 percent, down from about 50 percent during the previous election cycle five years prior.
El Mansouri enters coalition talks after a campaign marked by public friction between the PAM and its former coalition partners in the RNI over food inflation and living costs. Despite earlier tensions, El Mansouri stated that her party holds no “red lines” regarding coalition negotiations, noting that political leaders have moved past previous disputes.
https://x.com/M_RoyalFamily/status/2104969659334242367
A Path Shaped by Municipal Leadership and National Portfolios
A trained attorney, she first gained national prominence in 2009 when she became the first female mayor of Marrakech at age 33, a position she returned to for a second term in 2021. She also served as Minister of Housing in the outgoing government led by Aziz Akhannouch. The PAM’s campaign platform emphasized economic growth targets of 5 percent annually, inflation containment around 2 percent, and the creation of at least one million jobs.
Stakes for the 2030 FIFA World Cup and Economic Reforms
The incoming administration inherits critical economic challenges, highlighted by youth dissatisfaction and migration pressures at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July. Beyond domestic economic policy, El Mansouri’s government will oversee the concluding phases of a $20 billion national investment plan designed to prepare Morocco to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal. The preparation involves massive infrastructure upgrades across host cities, placing executive execution directly under the new prime minister’s cabinet once the king approves the coalition lineup.
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